Money Talks by Ellie Austin-Williams

Thank you to Watkins Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2023 was my year of getting properly financially savvy and I’m keen to continue this journey in any way that I can. From maximising my savings accounts to getting started with investing, finance and money is really top of my interests list these days! So, even though I’m not actually familiar with the author of Money Talks – Ellie Austin-Williams is a finance influencer – when this title came up on NetGalley, I was instantly interested and was thrilled to be approved for a review copy.

Money Talks is a really accessible book that talks about money – duh – and finance without any barriers. I loved that it openly discusses the intersection between money and personal wellbeing – so many of us experience financial anxiety at least a few times in our lives, and it just isn’t talked about. Austin-Williams even details how comparison culture, rife in our age, affects finances and brings societal pressures unlike in other generations. I firmly believe that openly and regularly talking about finance helps to break down taboos around money, and that it empowers us too.

Austin-Williams intersperses real-life examples and case studies, plus well-positioned questions throughout, making it a real handbook of sorts. I think it’s an essential read for women of all ages, even those in their first-ever jobs as teenagers. There are endless facts and nuggets of information that I know would’ve made a big impression on me 12 years ago when I stepped into the murky world of full-time work. I thought this book would be more of a practical guide to money (perhaps delving into savvy saving and making investments), but it is really more of a lifestyle and reassurance read, sharing anecdotes and facts and figures about the many chapters of money management that women may encounter. From money mindset to graduating university, money in relationships to becoming a parent, there is lots of great information here.

I do think that Money Talks is perhaps a better read for those who are suffering with financial anxiety, but not a practical guide or handbook for those looking at getting on with finance.